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In 1997, after many invitations, the fifty-year-old playwright resolved finally to visit the fifty-year-old state of Israel. The resulting play, written to be performed by the author himself, offers a meditation on an extraordinary trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territory, which leaves Hare questioning his own values as searchingly as the powerful beliefs of those he met.

Via Dolorosa premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 1998 and transferred to the Booth Theatre, Broadway, in March 1999. Accompanying Via Dolorosa is the 1996 Eric Symes Memorial Lecture, When Shall We Live?, which addresses questions of faith.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hare has written a piece that, in a modest, moving way, illuminates not only the Arab-Israeli conflict but also some of the other confrontations that keep the world on bloody edge. . .it is a very particular recollection, written by a playwright attempting to give theatrical fiction a new dimension of reality. . .Via Dolorosa has such an astonishing abundance of stories, characters and ideas that, when you leave the theatre, you feel as if you have lived through some crazy, continuing epic." --New York Times

About the Author

David Hare was born in Sussex, England in 1947. His first play, Slag, was produced in 1970. His other works include Plenty (1978), A Map of the World (1983), and Pravda (1985). A founder of the Portable Theatre and the Joint Stock, he became resident dramatist and literary manager of the Royal Court Theatre, London (1967–71), and at the Nottingham Playhouse (1973). Until recently, Hare served as director of the National Theatre, London. In 1982, Hare founded a film company, Greenpoint Films. He has written several screenplays including Plenty (1985), Weatherby (1985), Strapless (1989), and Damage (1992). Several of his best-known plays, The Secret Rapture, Racing Demon, Skylight, The Judas Kiss, Via Dolorosa and Amy's View have been presented on Broadway.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Fortunately i had the luck to actually see David Hare perform Via Dolorosa on Broadway, not once, but twice this past spring. In fact, I was able to see nearly 30 plays in five months as part of a Duke University program taught in Manhattan. My three favorite straight plays were 1. Amy's View, 2. Death of a Salesman, 3. Via Dolorosa. What I appreciated most about Hare's two plays was his ability to reveal the complexity, stubborness, and nobility, closely bordering stoicism, that pervades the human condition.As an agnostic and an American I was overcome by the honest critique offered by Hare. Here is someone who has wrestled with the moral and ethical dillemas and subsequently infused them into his work. I excuse his humor, because, sometimes things are so horrible all we can do is laugh, and if we cannot, then it is truly a sad thing. Stones or ideas? When shall we live? So what if you don't like all his answers, at least he's raising the right questions.I do not expect, nor do I particularily want Hare to moderate a Palestinian/Isreali debate. What I do want is for him to dig out and contextualize the emotional elements that ground this tragic situation. As a Westerner, I understand how this passion can captivate someone from a culture in desperate need of something to live for besides material wealth. Hare accomplished exactly what he set out to do, and we are in his debt for it.

I first saw this piece performed by David Hare himself as a monologue. As with all plays, a certain amount of drama and charm is lost when the printed edition is the only version experienced. I saw the language and sarcasm as simultaneously refreshing, especially for those who are pessimistic about the Middle East situation, and poetic, often illustrating and describing scenes and people with warmth and edge.I would highly recommend finding the dramatic staging of this piece, but this edition is still a beautiful essay.

"Via Dolorosa" is a play in the sense that it has been performed on the stage. Who besides David Hare himself would dare perform it, I can't say. It would take guts. Who would finance such a performance? Anyway, this is an essay for the stage. I thought it very interesting, chiefly because the New York audience drew Isrealis who were enraptured by Hare, sat bolt upright, and reacted with every inch of their souls. This could and should have been done in a lecture hall at the U.N., not B'Way but ... It is a fascinating exploration and almost as interesting as Tony Kushner's play on Afghanistan that opens with a lengthy monologue, riveting, that blossoms into a dull play. Here the monologue ends. Hare spares us the dull play.